Devin Virell
Redline Echo
The assignment followed the recent events on Kattada, the Sith’s carnage still scarred in memory. This new mission was meant to be a clean one, a diplomatic escort to the Ord Cantrell. The envoy was headed to a summit, a futile attempt to bring peace to fractured factions, but the journey ahead was long.
It had been months since Devin had flown a joint operation, maybe longer..
Lately, most of Devin's assignments had been quiet runs, remote outposts, the kind of work that kept him in the cockpit but far from anything with connection. But he'd grown used to the silence, to the rhythm of flying alone, to the kind of missions that didn’t really ask much of him aside from patience.
This one felt different from the moment he saw the briefing. And now that they were drawing closer, the stars out here felt colder.
He hadn’t expected to feel anything about it, really. But now, sitting in hyperspace, he felt something stir.
Not nerves exactly.. but a kind of alertness.
It could've even just been curiosity. He'd always been that way.
Devin knew who was leading the mission, but he didn’t know much about her save a name, a reputation, and a few lines he skimmed in one of the mission's logs.
While adjusting the throttle by a fraction, amber lanterns flickered in his gaze as he looked over the console, then drifted back to the stars.
The X‑Wing’s cockpit was a familiar cage, the kind of space where he could feel every vibration of the engines through the seat and every shift in the ship’s balance through the stick. Hyperspace stretched ahead in long ribbons that were almost too calm for his liking. It was always during the calm that his mind always wandered.
Somewhere ahead, another vessel, the lead, cut a clean path, the kind of ship that belonged to someone with authority.
The rest of the formation held steady. His own X-wing was on the outer edge, far enough to see the rest of them. Somewhere in the middle was the envoy, like a precious jewel locked inside a case.
The comms crackled, loud enough for everyone to hear.
<Outer screen looks lonely, Sky Rat. You still awake out there?>
Devin’s lips curled into a faint smirk. <Eyes open. Someone’s got to keep you lot honest.>
A chuckle came back over the channel, another voice. <Copy that. Just don’t drift too far, wouldn’t want you missing the party.>
The banter faded, but the silence felt different now, carrying the warmth of camaraderie and the sense of being part of something bigger.